Old Town Alexandria Eatery Makes Food Critic's Final 40 Best Restaurants List

ALEXANDRIA, VA — An Old Town Alexandria restaurant is among the 40 best restaurants in the D.C. region, according to Washington Post critic Tom Sietsema's final list.

Sietsema announced on Tuesday he is leaving his role as a Washington Post food critic after 26 years. That ends his practice of using disguises and a different identity for credit cards and reservations to review restaurants.

"During my run, I’ve endeavored to eat under the radar as much as possible — anonymously, the better to experience a restaurant like someone who isn’t a food critic," Sietsema shared.

Now, the food critic has revealed his identity and released his last 40 best restaurants list covering the D.C. region. He called the final list his "restaurant equivalent of a goody bag."

"The antidote to tough times can be a meal away from home," the food critic wrote.

One Alexandria restaurant made the list — Old Town's Ada's on the River. The restaurant from Alexandria Restaurant Partners sits on the waterfront and specializes in a steak and seafood menu. The food critic noted the restaurant was envisioned as a steakhouse but has developed into a good pick for seafood.

Sietsema recommends the swordfish sauced in a mustard cream while noting that the burger on an onion brioche bun is the restaurant's bestseller.

"Ada’s is the exception to the rule about good views canceling good cooking in tourist zones," Sietsema wrote in his review.

See the full list of Sietsema's 40 best restaurants in the Washington Post.